The present invention relates to a pressure-sensitive sensor, a connector and a combining structure thereof and, more particularly, to a pressure-sensitive sensor for sensing whether or not a foreign matter is caught by a glass of a power window or the like of a vehicle when it is closed, a connector for connecting such a pressure-sensitive sensor to a wire so as to ensure conductivity between the two and a combining structure of the pressure-sensitive sensor and connector.
Some type of vehicle has a pressure-sensitive sensor disposed on the top of a window frame of its door for detecting whether or not this pressure-sensitive sensor is pressed by a foreign matter when its power window glass rises to be closed. When the pressure-sensitive sensor is pressed by the foreign matter, it is so constructed that the glass is stopped from rising.
FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing an outline of a pressure-sensitive cable switch disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H9-180578.
In FIG. 16, a pressure-sensitive cable switch 101 comprises an oval rubber tube 102, which is formed such that an inside is hollow and installed on a upper portion of a window frame constituting a vehicle door, two metallic conductors 104, 105 composed of conductor wires disposed so as to oppose each other across a bending neutral axis 103 in the rubber tube 102, a belt-like electrode 106 composed of conductive rubber material disposed on an upper side of the rubber tube 102 with respect to the bending neutral axis 103 while part thereof is in contact with a metallic conductor 105 and a belt-like electrode 107 composed of conductive rubber material disposed on a lower side of the rubber tube 102 with respect to the bending neutral axis 103 while part thereof is in contact with a metallic conductor 105.
With such a structure, if a hand or neck of man is caught by a top portion of glass of a vehicle power window when the power window is ascending, his arm, head or shoulder comes into contact with a lower side of the rubber tube, so that the lower portion of the rubber tube 102 is pressed toward the upper side. When the rubber tube 102 becomes flat, the respective belt-like electrodes 106, 107 inside contact each other. Then, the metallic conductors 104, 105 connected to the respective belt-like electrodes 106, 107 become conductive with each other, thereby stopping an ascent of the glass.
Connection of the pressure-sensitive sensor to the wire so as to ensure conductivity is considered to be carried out by connecting an end of an electrode of the pressure-sensitive sensor to an end of the wire.
More specifically, an end in the length direction of this wire is soldered to a copper plate and the copper plate is bonded to a side face of a rubber plate. On the other side face of this rubber plate, a copper plate soldered to wire is also bonded, so that entirely, the rubber plate is sandwiched by the wires via the copper plates.
When coupling the electrodes with the wires mounted in this way, first the wires are nipped by ends of the electrodes disposed to oppose each other, so as to bring the ends of the wire and electrode into contact with each other.
After that, a worker fastens a portion where the wire contacts the electrode by winding metallic wire by hands and then, the connecting work is completed.
However, when the conventional pressure-sensitive cable switch 101 is disposed on a curved portion of a window frame portion or the like, the rubber tube 102 is bent. Consequently, differences of the inside and outside diameters occur on the upper side and lower side of the rubber tube 102, so that the rubber tube becomes flatter.
As a result, a minimum distance between the belt-like electrodes 106 and 107, particularly a distance between ends of the respective belt-like electrodes 106, 107 is reduced considerably, so that it can be considered to send out an error signal by reacting to a minute vibration sensitively.
The present invention has been achieved in views of the above described studies and therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pressure-sensitive sensor which can be actuated accurately if it is bent or a certain force is applied, and can be installed on an entire periphery of the window frame. Further, this pressure-sensitive sensor can be produced through a single extruding process, thereby suppressing the price of the sensor.
In case where connection of the pressure-sensitive sensor with the wire is carried out by winding a metallic wire, if the metallic wire is wound tightly, it can be considered that the wire ends and the electrodes of the sensor may be cut out from a portion on which the metallic wire is wound. If the metallic wire is wound loosely, connection of the wires with the sensor becomes insufficient so that the wire may be slipped out. Thus, connection between the sensor and the wire becomes unsecured and therefore, in order to obtain a secure conductivity, it is necessary to form a new structure.
Further, a worker has always to pay attention to tightness of metallic wire winding when connecting the conventional sensor to the wire without a connection failure and therefore, it takes time and labor to wind the metallic wire and this processing step is particularly required.
Accordingly, another object of the present invention is to provide a connector and a combining structure of a pressure-sensitive sensor and the connector, which can extinguish a connection failure in connecting the pressure-sensitive sensor with the wire, effectively so as to ensure conductivity, thereby making it possible to reduce the number of processing steps.
To achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pressure-sensitive sensor provided with: a tube member containing a hollow portion defined by an inner wall thereof and made of flexible material, the tube member extending in a predetermined direction; a first belt-like electrode disposed on a upper side of the hollow portion of the tube member and extending in the predetermined direction; a second belt-like electrode disposed on a lower side of the hollow portion of the tube member so as to oppose the first belt-like electrode and extending in the predetermined direction, the first belt-like electrode and the second belt-like electrode being capable of contacting each other ensuring conductivity when the pressure-sensitive sensor is pressed; and a contact adjusting portion provided on an inner wall of the tube member and for adjusting a contact between the first belt-like electrode and the second belt-like electrode.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector for use in a pressure-sensitive sensor for connecting a wire to the pressure-sensitive sensor so as to ensure conductivity. The pressure-sensitive sensor is provided with: a tube member containing a hollow portion defined by an inner wall thereof and made of flexible material, the tube member extending in a predetermined direction; a first belt-like electrode disposed on a upper side of the hollow portion of the tube member and extending in the predetermined direction; and a second belt-like electrode disposed on a lower side of the hollow portion of the tube member so as to oppose the first belt-like electrode and extending in the predetermined direction, the first belt-like electrode and the second belt-like electrode being capable of contacting each other when the pressure-sensitive sensor is pressed. The connector is provided with: a housing main body; an insertion link portion provided on a side of the housing main body and formed so as to be enlarged gradually from a front end thereof to a base portion thereof so that it is capable of being inserted into the hollow portion in the pressure-sensitive sensor from an end of the pressure-sensitive sensor; terminals capable of being connected to the first electrode and the second electrode so as to ensure conductivity in a condition that the insertion link portion is inserted into the hollow portion; and an engagement connecting portion provided on the other side of the housing main body and capable of being fit to a mating connector linked to a terminal of the wire so that the other end of the terminal is connected to the terminal so as to ensure conductivity.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combining structure of a pressure-sensitive sensor and a connector. The combining structure includes: a pressure-sensitive sensor provided with: a tube member containing a hollow portion defined by an inner wall thereof and made of flexible material, the tube member extending in a predetermined direction; a first belt-like electrode disposed on a upper side of the hollow portion of the tube member and extending in the predetermined direction; and a second belt-like electrode disposed on a lower side of the hollow portion of the tube member so as to oppose the first belt-like electrode and extending in the predetermined direction, the first belt-like electrode and the second belt-like electrode being capable of contacting each other when the pressure-sensitive sensor is pressed, and a connector provided with: a housing main body; an insertion link portion provided on a side of the housing main body and formed so as to be enlarged gradually from a front end thereof to a base portion thereof so that it is capable of being inserted into the hollow portion in the pressure-sensitive sensor from an end of the pressure-sensitive sensor; terminals having ends capable of being respectively connected to the first electrode and the second electrode so as to ensure conductivity in a condition that the insertion link portion is inserted into the hollow portion; and an engagement connecting portion provided on the other side of the housing main body and capable of being fit to a mating connector linked to a terminal of the wire so that the other end of the terminal is connected to the terminal so as to ensure conductivity.
Other and further features, advantages, and benefits of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.